


Apple of My Eye

by heliocentricity



Series: Paradise Regained [2]
Category: Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Domestic Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-09-30 23:49:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20455601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heliocentricity/pseuds/heliocentricity
Summary: Two months into his stay with the Frankenstein family, Robert Walton tries to write to his sister but can't seem to find the proper words.





	Apple of My Eye

**Author's Note:**

> I've had enough angst for a while, so this is pure fluff. Enjoy~

It was just past noon on a brisk spring day, and a light breeze swept through an open window, ruffling the stacks of paper Robert Walton had piled on his desk. This guest room, situated on the second floor, had become Robert’s for the time-being and would remain so until he stopped procrastinating his return trip to England. 

The room consisted of a wardrobe, a bed, and a desk, the latter of which Robert was currently hunched over, trying in vain to compose a letter to his sister Margaret. He wasn’t sure what to write, specifically how he could justify his decision to stay with the Frankenstein family for so long. He assumed simply telling his sister that he had met a cute boy would frustrate her to no end. And it was true, he didn’t want her to think he prized romantic relationships over his beloved family. But wasn’t everything that had happened to him these past two months too good to be true? Meeting Victor had made the failure of his coveted Arctic expedition bearable, because he knew, without it, he might not have stumbled upon the man in Geneva. 

Unfortunately, no matter how certain Robert was that his meeting with Victor was fated to happen, it felt too preposterous to put such a thing in writing. So, the sheet before him remained only half-complete. 

Robert was jolted out of his writing slump several minutes later by a succession of loud knocks at the door, followed by a deep voice bellowing, “Captain!”

Robert recognized who it was immediately. Only two people insisted on calling him Captain, even though he was no longer in charge of a ship. The first was William, the youngest of the Frankensteins, and the second was Milton, who might actually be the youngest now that Robert thought about it. The tenor of the voice and the force of the knocks ruled out William as an option, so it could only be Milton. 

Robert pushed back from his desk and called, “Come in! It’s unlocked.”

The door swung open, and Milton gasped as it hit the wall with a loud thwack. “I’m so sorry,” he said, steadying the door with one large hand. 

Robert waved off his apology. “Don’t worry about it. Is everything alright?” Milton’s hair was disheveled, and he looked agitated. 

“I need your opinion on something,” he explained, darting a glance into the hallway, where Robert could hear the pounding of approaching footsteps. “And it’s urgent. Victor is trying to convince me that this – ” He pointed at his throat. “ – is called an Adam’s apple.”

Just as he finished speaking, Victor slid to a halt behind Milton, catching himself on the doorframe and panting as though he had been sprinting for the past five minutes. “That’s because it fucking is!” he gasped. 

Milton shook his head. “Why should I believe you?”

“Because why on Earth would I lie about this?” Victor demanded. 

“You know how much Paradise Lost means to me. And I will not allow you to get my hopes up again!”

“Okay, there was that one time I made a joke about the forest out back being called Eden. But it’s not my fault you didn’t realize I was being sarcastic.”

Milton turned back to Robert. “Captain. Please tell me if Victor is lying.”

“I’m not lying!” Victor insisted. 

Milton pressed on. “Is this thing truly called an Adam’s apple?”

Robert looked at Victor, whose shirt was rumpled and whose hair stuck up at just as many odd angles as Milton’s. Unable to suppress a smile, he bowed his head and told Milton, “Yes, it is called an Adam’s apple.” 

Milton’s hand flew to his heart and he whispered, “Really?” at the same time that Victor pointed at Milton and cried, “See! I told you!”

Milton crossed his arms defiantly. “Well, I only believe it now because the captain told me it’s so. I trust him the most out of anyone in this house. . . except maybe Justine and Elizabeth.” He shot Robert an appreciative look and said, “Thank you, Captain.” 

Robert smiled and replied, “Of course. Any time.” 

Victor sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, yeah. . . Look, why don’t you go back outside and tell William to come in for lunch? I think I need to lie down for a bit.” 

Milton nodded and ducked out of the room, leaving Robert and Victor alone.

“Do you mind if I. . . ” Victor gestured vaguely to the bed, and Robert shook his head.

“Not at all.”

Gratefully, Victor let himself fall back onto the bed, where he lay for a couple minutes just catching his breath. Robert returned to his letter and reread what he had already written, but he couldn’t concentrate like he had before. The apple incident was still too fresh in his mind. He found himself smiling as he recounted the silly conversation. 

He was mid-smile when he heard Victor push off from the bed and come to stand behind him. He reached back for his friend, and Victor happily wrapped his arms around Robert, pressing his sun-warmed cheek into Robert’s hair. 

“What are you working on?” he asked. 

“Just a letter to my sister, explaining why I’m delaying my trip home for another two months.” He sighed. “I really shouldn’t stay here much longer than that. I haven’t seen Margaret in years, not since I started volunteering in shipyards.”

Victor withdrew his arms and sat down on the edge of the bed facing Robert. “You know I want you to stay as long as possible," he began, "but I understand if you have to go home. I was away from my family for nearly six years when I went off to college, and I don’t think the prolonged absence was good for any of us.” He paused, then offered, “But just so you know, you’re always welcome to invite Margaret here. You’ve told us all so much about her, and I, for one, would love to meet her.” 

“I wish I could,” agreed Robert wistfully, “but what would I tell her?" He cleared his throat. "Hello, dear sister, it's nice to see you again after all these years. This is my boyfriend Victor, and this is his boyfriend Henry, and this is the rest of their family. That one's Milton. He looks like a reanimated corpse, because he is a reanimated corpse!”

Victor laughed. “I love how introducing Henry and me takes precedence over explaining Milton.”

Robert laughed a little too. “Well, you know what I mean.”

Victor tucked his legs up underneath him. “If I’m remembering correctly, you said you tell your sister everything, right? Why should this be any different?”

Robert shrugged. “I don’t know. It probably shouldn’t. It’s just. . . I’m not sure how to word anything. How would I even begin telling her this story? And even if I put it all on paper, would she believe me?”

“Hmm. . . ” Victor considered this dilemma for a couple minutes, as Robert reread his draft a third time without any epiphanies. Then, Victor spoke up. “I might have an idea.” Robert looked to him questioningly. “What if you relay a story I tell you to Margaret? You can have a full disclaimer that if anything sounds outlandish, it’s not your fault, and she can blame me instead? Then, if she’s genuinely curious, you can encourage her to come to Geneva and see these things for herself!”

Robert tapped his pen thoughtfully again his chin. “That. . . could work,” he said slowly. Then, he shot a glance at Victor. “But. . . are you sure you’re comfortable reliving it? I heard it really took a toll on your health, and it would probably take a few hours at least to recount everything.”

Victor shook his head. “Don’t worry about me. It’s been over two years, and I’ve come to terms with it all by now. I’d be happy to share the story with you and your sister.” He began fiddling with the hemming on his shirt. “Besides, it would give us a good excuse to be together without interruption. We would just say we're working on something important, and that would ensure William and Milton stay out of the room. Not that I don’t want to see them or anything," Victor clarified hastily. "It’s just, they make it so hard to do anything together. God forbid I try to hold your hand in their presence. William gets grossed out, and poor Milton just looks confused. . . Don't tell him I told you this, but part of me thinks Milton fancies you himself. I mean, have you noticed how enamored he is with you?”

Robert blushed. “I’m sure it’s nothing like that,” he insisted. "But I see what you mean about the two of them being very distracting. I mean, just this afternoon, I was trying to write a letter, and Milton came bursting in demanding I tell him about Adam’s apples.” 

Victor laughed. “Right? And can you believe he didn’t trust me about that? The nerve!” Although Victor sounded like he was complaining, his eyes were sparkling. “Did you know, he questions me all the time now? Like, just last week, he asked me when Henry’s coming back from school, and I said, as soon as the snows melt. But the very next minute, I heard him ask Elizabeth the same thing! I don't know what it is, but you would think I had completely misplaced his trust or something.” 

"You did tell him the nearby forest was named Eden," Robert reminded him.

"Sarcastically!"

Robert shook his head and laughed. However, part of him had grown nervous at the mention of Henry returning from school, because it meant Robert would soon get to meet him. Practically everyone in the house assured him Henry wasn’t intimidating and the two would probably get along famously, but Robert had heard so many fantastic things about Victor’s other boyfriend, he was starting to feel a little self-conscious. What if Robert liked Henry just fine, but Henry wasn't impressed at all with him? 

Before he could voice any of these fears to Victor, there was another knock at the door. 

“Captain!” said a high-pitched voice, which Robert knew belonged to William. The boy opened the door a few seconds later, without waiting for an invitation to enter. “Milton said you and Victor were in here.” He nodded at Walton, then made a bee-line for his brother, grabbed his arm, and started to pull. “It’s time for lunch! You need to help us use the stove!”

Victor was grinning. “Alright, alright! You don’t have to tell me twice.” He threw a glance over his shoulder at Robert. “I’ll meet you downstairs in a few minutes? You can write for a little longer, if you’d like.”

Robert nodded and beckoned Victor closer. “One more thing before you go,” he said and gave Victor a quick kiss on the lips. Victor smiled, but William made a noise of disgust. 

“No kissing!” he protested, tugging at Victor more determinedly than ever. “Only food!”

Robert laughed and waved coyly as William successfully pulled his brother out of the room. Before he disappeared from view, Victor got the chance to blow Robert another kiss, followed by a wink, and Robert could hear William scolding Victor for flirting when he should be cooking. 

Their voices soon faded into the background, and Robert stretched his fingers before resuming his letter. His talk with Victor had focused his thoughts, and he now knew exactly what to write to Margaret: “Victor Frankenstein, the man whose family has so graciously hosted me these past two months, has agreed to recount to me his family story, beginning sometime this week. He has forewarned me that some of it may be difficult to believe, but I would trust this man with my life. I am looking forward to his story immensely and hope that you will also enjoy his tale and read his words, as I transcribe them, with an open mind. Your affectionate brother, Robert Walton.”

Satisfied, Robert set the letter aside and placed a paper-weight on top so the wind from the open window wouldn't blow it away. Then, he stood up, took a deep breath of the fresh spring air, and headed downstairs to join the rest of the Frankenstein family.


End file.
